1. In the space below, describe the stasis at the beginning of Trifles. In other words, “Where are we?” “When is it (time, day, and year)?” “Who are the people involved?” “What is the dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves as the play unfolds?” At the beginning of the play, the stasis is the setting of the play, which is in an abandoned farmhouse that has been left in disarray following the murder of John Wright. I would assume that the play occurs in the winter months,as indicated by the sheriff stating that the temperature had dropped below zero the night before. I would say that the play takes place in the early 20th century as that was the time that it was written in. The people involved include the County Attorney, the Sheriff, Hale, Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Peters. The dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves in is that the political milieu surrounding the play comes into play as the conviction of Mrs. Wright is impacted by the consideration of women as second-class citizens in the early 20th century. Oftentimes women were not judged by a "jury of her peers", as women were not commonly participants in juries, and therefore had no say in the outcome of a crime.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play? The intrusion that occurs in the play would be the discovery of the empty birdcage, as well as the discovery of the dead bird. As the birdcage appears to be a forward of the play in that it contributes greatly to the climax and the later discovery of the birdcage, the actual discovery of the dead bird was the "missing link" to the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Wright.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place? Because the women were sent back to get clothes for Mrs, Wright, although she is in jail, this provides the circumstances surrounding their discovery of the events that led up to the death of Mr. Wright. The frozen cherries just as well serve as a unique factor as the women are inclined to piece together the events of the night of Mr. Wright's death.In other words,this is the day that the canary is found, and this is the day that the women discover the circumstances surrounding Mr. Wright’s murder.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.) 1. What are the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Wright? 2. If Mrs. Wright killed Mr. Wright,should the evidence be presented to the men? 3. Is the dead canary indicative of the circumstances surrounding Wright's death? 4. Was justice served for either Mrs. or Mr. Wright?
5. Use Ms. Hale to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for Ms. Hale. Within the play, it becomes pretty apparent that the predominant conflicts that preclude Mrs. Hale are me against myself, and me against society. Mrs. Hale has an obvious fidelity to her sex, as demonstrated by her rejection of the patronizing comments that the men make against her sex, notably concerning when Mrs. Hales states that men's hands aren't always a clean as they might be, implying both that a woman's work is never done, as well as the notion that things aren't always as they appear, especially pertaining to this scenario with the suspicion being directed at the woman, Mrs. Hale, and not her husband as a potential transgressor. Mrs. Hale does indeed want justice for the murder of Mr. Wright, however, the nature of justice and whether or not the ethical way of justice would indeed betrue justice presents a problem for her. She stand in the way of her own wants in that she blames herself immensely for the death of Mr. Wright. She feels that if she, so loyal and diligent as she portrays herself to be, were more proactive and direct in establishing a rapport with Mrs. Wright, that the death of Mr. Wright would not have occurred at all. By placing herself to blame for the death of Mr. Wright she detracts from her wants in that the death of Wright no longer falls in just one person. Justice for all intents and purposes is a very wrong notion for her in that for true justice to be observed, she would have to be on trial as well. Just as well, Mrs. Hale's conflict concerning herself against society is present as she contemplates what she should do concerning the discovery of the dead bird and the potential implication of the killer. She recognizes the patriarchal society that she inhabits that would have Mrs. Wright incriminated regardless of whether or not she was abused in her marriage. Just as well, Mrs. Wright seeking justice for both parties illustrates clearly her conflict as she is torn between her ethics and her values. She so clearly is a champion of women's rights(she constantly defends her sex, mends the ragged stitching on the quilt, etc. and stands in solidarity with her sex, however, she knows that she condemns criminal behavior and vouches for justice. When Mrs. Peters is unable to take the dead bird, it is Mrs. Hale who finds it within herself to take the bird and conceal it from the men, however, her initial reaction of staring at Mrs. Peters illustrates her dilemma before making up her mind and choosing her own values over what society deems as ethical.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in Trifles and what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play? The most theatrical moment of the play occurs at its conclusion when the women must decide in the seconds before the men enter whether or not they will reveal the evidence that they found, that being the dead bird. In that moment the audience really gets a glimpse into the dilemma that confronts the women as they decide whether or not they will go against the grain, and society, and conceal the incriminating evidence against Mrs. Hale. By finally concluding to conceal the evidence, the outcome of the play is cemented as the men will find no evidence that could convict or indict Mrs. Hale with the murderof her husband.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Trifles. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”) Three examples of images within the play would be the canary, the quilt, and the shattered jar of frozen cherries. The title of the play being trifles, which isunderstood as a that which is menial or small, and often inconsequential, could apply to the images that are depicted in the play. However, I would say that trifles are used ironically, due to the idea that the "trifles" presented in the play turn out to be monumental symbolically and the like. According to the men, women are concerned with "trifles" which illustrates their extreme folly as they are oblivious to the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Wright. By Ball asserting that ,“An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know", he isstating that they are metaphorical. The terrible stitching means much more than neglect on Mrs. Wright's part, it indicates that she was distressed. These images imply much more than they let on, even mores profound in that these great and vast meanings are packaged in inconsequential "trifles."
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Trifles. The themes in Trifles include feminism, justice, gender, equality, loyalty, ethics, stereotypes, abuse, guilt.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with Trifles? Is family redefined in Trifles? Family is presented in Trifles in a few ways; one being the family dynamic of the Wrights. They were married and yet beared no children, and were often seen as joyless, reserved people. Family is redefined as Mrs. Hale's feminism gives rise to family and connection as defined by struggle, this one being due to gender. The allegiance and solidarity that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters show towards Mrs. Wright, even when confronting their own ethics, showcase the familial ties that they have forged.
At the beginning of the play, the stasis is the setting of the play, which is in an abandoned farmhouse that has been left in disarray following the murder of John Wright. I would assume that the play occurs in the winter months, as indicated by the sheriff stating that the temperature had dropped below zero the night before. I would say that the play takes place in the early 20th century as that was the time that it was written in. The people involved include the County Attorney, the Sheriff, Hale, Mrs. Hale, and Mrs. Peters. The dramatic situation in which the characters find themselves in is that the political milieu surrounding the play comes into play as the conviction of Mrs. Wright is impacted by the consideration of women as second-class citizens in the early 20th century. Oftentimes women were not judged by a "jury of her peers", as women were not commonly participants in juries, and therefore had no say in the outcome of a crime.
2. What is the intrusion that causes the stasis to be broken and the dramatic action to develop, often at an increasingly rapid pace, to the end of the play?
The intrusion that occurs in the play would be the discovery of the empty birdcage, as well as the discovery of the dead bird. As the birdcage appears to be a forward of the play in that it contributes greatly to the climax and the later discovery of the birdcage, the actual discovery of the dead bird was the "missing link" to the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Wright.
3. Why do the events of the play take place at this particular time and place? In other words, what is the unique factor that is out of the ordinary that causes a turn of events to take place?
Because the women were sent back to get clothes for Mrs, Wright, although she is in jail, this provides the circumstances surrounding their discovery of the events that led up to the death of Mr. Wright. The frozen cherries just as well serve as a unique factor as the women are inclined to piece together the events of the night of Mr. Wright's death. In other words, this is the day that the canary is found, and this is the day that the women discover the circumstances surrounding Mr. Wright’s murder.
4. State the dramatic question or questions that must be answered by the end of the play? (Ordinarily, the dramatic question shares a close connection with the intrusion.)
1. What are the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Wright?
2. If Mrs. Wright killed Mr. Wright, should the evidence be presented to the men?
3. Is the dead canary indicative of the circumstances surrounding Wright's death?
4. Was justice served for either Mrs. or Mr. Wright?
5. Use Ms. Hale to answer the questions concerning character. Ball says, a character is revealed by what he/she does, that is the dramatic actions that are taken. Examine what the character wants (NOTE: In Trifles the wants of Ms. Hale change as the play progresses). The wants of a character often encounter obstacles that get in the way of achieving those wants. Ball says there are 4 kinds of obstacles that frustrate the wants of a character. They are: a. Me against myself, b. Me against another individual, c. Me against society (that is law, social norms, etc.) and, d. Me against fate, the universe, natural forces, God or the gods. In answering these questions be sure to point to the particular obstacles that demonstrate these obstacles for Ms. Hale.
Within the play, it becomes pretty apparent that the predominant conflicts that preclude Mrs. Hale are me against myself, and me against society. Mrs. Hale has an obvious fidelity to her sex, as demonstrated by her rejection of the patronizing comments that the men make against her sex, notably concerning when Mrs. Hales states that men's hands aren't always a clean as they might be, implying both that a woman's work is never done, as well as the notion that things aren't always as they appear, especially pertaining to this scenario with the suspicion being directed at the woman, Mrs. Hale, and not her husband as a potential transgressor. Mrs. Hale does indeed want justice for the murder of Mr. Wright, however, the nature of justice and whether or not the ethical way of justice would indeed be true justice presents a problem for her. She stand in the way of her own wants in that she blames herself immensely for the death of Mr. Wright. She feels that if she, so loyal and diligent as she portrays herself to be, were more proactive and direct in establishing a rapport with Mrs. Wright, that the death of Mr. Wright would not have occurred at all. By placing herself to blame for the death of Mr. Wright she detracts from her wants in that the death of Wright no longer falls in just one person. Justice for all intents and purposes is a very wrong notion for her in that for true justice to be observed, she would have to be on trial as well. Just as well, Mrs. Hale's conflict concerning herself against society is present as she contemplates what she should do concerning the discovery of the dead bird and the potential implication of the killer. She recognizes the patriarchal society that she inhabits that would have Mrs. Wright incriminated regardless of whether or not she was abused in her marriage. Just as well, Mrs. Wright seeking justice for both parties illustrates clearly her conflict as she is torn between her ethics and her values. She so clearly is a champion of women's rights(she constantly defends her sex, mends the ragged stitching on the quilt, etc. and stands in solidarity with her sex, however, she knows that she condemns criminal behavior and vouches for justice. When Mrs. Peters is unable to take the dead bird, it is Mrs. Hale who finds it within herself to take the bird and conceal it from the men, however, her initial reaction of staring at Mrs. Peters illustrates her dilemma before making up her mind and choosing her own values over what society deems as ethical.
6. The most important information in most plays takes place during theatrical moments. In your estimation what is the most theatrical moment in Trifles and what happens during that moment which is so important to the outcome of the play?
The most theatrical moment of the play occurs at its conclusion when the women must decide in the seconds before the men enter whether or not they will reveal the evidence that they found, that being the dead bird. In that moment the audience really gets a glimpse into the dilemma that confronts the women as they decide whether or not they will go against the grain, and society, and conceal the incriminating evidence against Mrs. Hale. By finally concluding to conceal the evidence, the outcome of the play is cemented as the men will find no evidence that could convict or indict Mrs. Hale with the murder of her husband.
7. Provide at least three examples of images in Trifles. How does the title of the play help us understand the images in the play? (Remember Ball says that, “An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know.” He goes on to say that images invoke and expand, rather than define and limit.”)
Three examples of images within the play would be the canary, the quilt, and the shattered jar of frozen cherries. The title of the play being trifles, which is understood as a that which is menial or small, and often inconsequential, could apply to the images that are depicted in the play. However, I would say that trifles are used ironically, due to the idea that the "trifles" presented in the play turn out to be monumental symbolically and the like. According to the men, women are concerned with "trifles" which illustrates their extreme folly as they are oblivious to the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Wright. By Ball asserting that ,“An image is the use of something we know that tells us something we don’t know", he is stating that they are metaphorical. The terrible stitching means much more than neglect on Mrs. Wright's part, it indicates that she was distressed. These images imply much more than they let on, even mores profound in that these great and vast meanings are packaged in inconsequential "trifles."
8. Ordinarily, there are many themes in most plays. List the themes in Trifles.
The themes in Trifles include feminism, justice, gender, equality, loyalty, ethics, stereotypes, abuse, guilt.
9. Most American plays have something to do with family and/or family relationships. What does family have to do with Trifles? Is family redefined in Trifles?
Family is presented in Trifles in a few ways; one being the family dynamic of the Wrights. They were married and yet beared no children, and were often seen as joyless, reserved people. Family is redefined as Mrs. Hale's feminism gives rise to family and connection as defined by struggle, this one being due to gender. The allegiance and solidarity that Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters show towards Mrs. Wright, even when confronting their own ethics, showcase the familial ties that they have forged.